Chapter 1 A Twist of Fate (Major Revision)

The Tang Dynasty Never Sleeps City.

As the sun sets in the west, taking the last rays of its rays with it below the horizon, the deep night is not yet solidified before it is pierced by the sudden illumination of streetlights. Streets are lit up one after another, appearing from the air like flowing silver ribbons, dazzling and radiant.

Zhuang Dongqing stepped into a world of light and shadow, her thoughts as mesmerized as the colorful light strips.

I patted my head; I felt dizzy.

Three cans of beer were still too much for him.

"I'm not kidding you, isn't it beautiful?"

Zhuang Dongqing nodded.

Third brother: "Let's go to Guangyue Tower."

"It's run by my uncle."

"I promised to make sure everyone eats and drinks well, and I mean it, brother!"

The other two roommates started cheering, but it was muffled, as if there was a layer between them. Zhuang Dongqing shook her head and then it became clearer.

Suddenly, her shoulder slumped as the third brother put his arm around Zhuang Dongqing and said, "Qingqing, don't think about anything. Just have fun here these next few days."

"Treat this place like your own home."

"Oh right, didn't you say you wanted to date before you dropped out of school? Coincidentally, I have a buddy who also likes guys. I'll introduce you two tonight..."

"Putting everything else aside, her face is quite intimidating..."

The eldest chimed in, "Was that novel you recommended before not good? I didn't hear you mention it. But I recently found another one, it starts with the protagonist forming a core and ascending to immortality, it's so awesome!"

The third brother, with his arm around Zhuang Dongqing, walked unsteadily, making the eldest brother's rambling incoherent.

...

After downing two more cans of beer, the lanterns at Guangyue Tower seemed to have more than doubled in Zhuang Dongqing's eyes.

The alcohol didn't embolden him, and before Lao San's friends arrived, Zhuang Dongqing chickened out and ran away to pee his pants.

On the way back, Zhuang Dongqing nervously muttered to herself, her left hand gripping her right: "Be generous, be proper, don't be nervous, just treat it like meeting a friend..."

He slammed his left fist into his right palm, "Yes, let's just pretend we've met..."

Before he could finish his resounding words, the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave way to emptiness.

The wooden staircase grew larger and larger in Zhuang Dongqing's eyes.

Thump.

Ouch, that hurts.

*

The full moon hangs high, casting its bright, clear light upon the world.

The Great Sheng Dynasty, Shangjing, Guangyuetai.

In the lobby on the first floor, a famous musician sat high up, half-concealing his face as if holding a pipa. When he reached a crucial point, he rapidly swept the strings. Accompanied by the dancer's supple body, she bent over and spun around. The music became more urgent and the spins became higher and higher. Suddenly, a thunderous sound rang out, and long water sleeves were thrown like flowers. The light singing and dancing left a lingering sound.

Cheers erupted from the audience.

Guests at each table toasted each other, played drinking games, and recited poems in a lively atmosphere, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"good."

A young man in fine clothes clapped his hands in a private room on the second floor.

As soon as the young man uttered his praise, everyone at the table echoed him, and for a time, praises poured in.

The man in black opposite the young man clapped a few times as well, but his expression remained indifferent.

"Is the food to your liking?" the young man asked, turning around.

"Your Highness is too kind. The banquet at the Eastern Palace is certainly not lacking in quality."

The man in black answered, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, saying "okay" but without a smile.

The young man, who was also the Crown Prince of Dasheng, was not offended and said amiably, "If you think it's okay, then it's good. Nowadays, everyone knows that Prince Jian of Dingxi is on the Emperor's side. It's not easy to ask you to do this."

The hint of reproach in his words caused many guests at the table to exchange glances. When they looked at the man in black, Cen Yan, the Prince of Dingxi, who was now at the height of his power, although they dared not say anything openly, their eyes, which lacked composure, were filled with a hint of ungratefulness.

Cen Yan pretended not to see it.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the sounds of singing and dancing gradually rose again in the hall, drawing the prince's attention once more.

Once everyone was immersed in the singing and dancing, Cen Yan beckoned to his attendant and whispered a few words. The attendant's pupils contracted, but his expression remained unchanged. He bowed his head and respectfully withdrew. When the attendant returned, under the guise of helping Cen Yan serve the dishes, the wine cups on the table were moved to a different position in the blink of an eye.

Shortly after, Cen Yan left his seat to relieve himself.

Not long after he left, his attendants followed him out the door.

After leaving the private room, instead of going to the changing room, he quickly walked upstairs to the private rooms. As he turned a corner, he saw a tall figure hiding in the shadows. As he approached, he saw a high nose and deep-set eyes; it was Cen Yan.

The attendant quickly stepped forward: "Master!"

The candlelight was dim, and Cen Yan stood in the shadows. Although his face remained expressionless, the faint blush on his cheekbones, which the night could not conceal, betrayed a hint of his current disheveled state.

It's obviously not normal.

"Master Zhao went to the private room first and has already sent a fast horse back to the manor to summon people. He has also taken the wine cups. Master, are you alright?"

As he spoke, he reached out to help her up.

Cen Yan waved him away and spoke, his voice hoarse, "It's alright, lead the way."

The attendant kept turning back and whispering, "Can you identify what kind of poison it is?"

Yes, at the banquet, what Cen Yan said to him was nothing other than, "The wine is wrong, it's poisoned."

Cen Yan shook his head and urged, "Hurry up."

The attendants had no choice but to quicken their pace.

Upon entering the private room, the physician from the Prince's Mansion, Master Zhao, had already laid out the silver needles, waiting for Cen Yan to sit down so he could take her pulse and diagnose the poison.

Cen Yan reached out his hand, and Master Zhao grasped his pulse, listening intently as his brows gradually furrowed.

Where is the container for the medicine?

"Here, here."

The attendant took out a wine cup, which Master Zhao held to his nose to sniff, and then held it close to the candlelight to examine it closely.

After a moment, he took a silver needle and ground it into a small amount of wine. The attendant noticed that the silver needle did not change color: "No poison?"

Master Zhao simply shook his head.

Then the wine glass was placed over the candle flame. After a short while, the remaining wine was burned by the open flame, revealing a faint smell of burnt feathers.

"this……"

Lord Zhao frowned and asked Cen Yan, "Does Your Highness feel thirsty and feverish?"

Cen Yan nodded, "It feels like something is burning in my dantian."

Master Zhao picked up a silver needle and inserted it into several places on Cen Yan's body. The silver needles, which had been rolled in the wine, did not turn black. However, the silver needles taken from Cen Yan's body turned black halfway when they were heated.

The attendant asked in a panic, "Master Zhao, what is it?"

Master Zhao's face crumpled up. After pulling out the remaining silver needles from Cen Yan's body, he finally spoke, "If I am not mistaken, it is a love poison."

The attendant was speechless.

The redness on Cen Yan's cheekbones had deepened, but he wasn't surprised by what he heard. He must have already guessed from the body's reaction. He simply asked, "Then have someone prepare some cold water?"

Aphrodisiacs usually only affect the body, and the effects wear off once the medication wears off.

"Absolutely not!" Master Zhao stopped him. "This is not a simple love poison. If I am not mistaken, it is made from powdered Gu worms from the Southern Frontier. Although its effects are not as wicked as Gu worms, if it is not... if it is not fully released, I'm afraid it may shorten one's lifespan."

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Master Zhao suddenly knelt down. "Master, your health is more important. Please have someone attend to you!"

The attendant also knelt down in one swift motion.

Cen Yan closed his eyes, sat upright, and remained silent for a long time.

Having held a high position for many years, he always maintained a calm and composed demeanor. However, upon closer inspection, aside from the flush on his cheekbones, a few fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead and temples in just a short while, indicating that the medication was still taking effect.

Seeing that he did not respond, the attendant became anxious: "Why don't we go back to the manor first? That way it will be easier to find him."

Cen Yan: "Choosing this moment to strike, and then suddenly leaving, what will the Crown Prince think the next day?"

Especially since the Crown Prince had been turned away three or four times before, he couldn't refuse this time either.

The attendant choked.

Since last year, the relationship between the Emperor and the Crown Prince has become increasingly delicate. This year, during the New Year's festival, the Emperor even publicly reprimanded the Crown Prince. The princes are now getting older, and in the past six months, having heard rumors, they have been openly and covertly vying for power, engaging in various underhanded tactics...

However, the Emperor had not yet grown tired of the Crown Prince, so as a close advisor, Cen Yan could not presume to know the Emperor's intentions or neglect the Eastern Palace.

You can't leave...

Cen Yan: "But if they find someone and poisoned them, it's possible they have a backup plan..."

If it's a series of interconnected schemes, one link leading to the next, then we must be wary.

Knowing that Cen Yan was somewhat fastidious and that there wasn't a single concubine in the manor, and that he was clearly not a lecherous man, Master Zhao was still racking his brains about how to persuade him. When he heard that Cen Yan's tone indicated a willingness to back down, he quickly said, "That's easy. Let Hao San go and find some. There are plenty of courtesans in Guangyuetai. Just buy the one that Your Highness likes."

Once the person is in the hands of the Prince's Mansion, they can't pull off any tricks.

Cen Yan exhaled, his breath burning.

After a moment of silence, he finally nodded.

She only added one sentence: "Looking for a man."

Thinking that Cen Yan wanted to eliminate any potential threat of having an heir, Master Zhao and his attendant didn't think much of it.

Both men had followed Cen Yan for many years and knew that he loved cleanliness and would not want others to see him in his poisoned state. After discussing it, Master Zhao and his attendant Hao San immediately withdrew.

“I know that Your Highness has never liked people getting close to you, but no matter what, you must get this done tonight.”

Master Zhao gave Hao San another word of advice at the door before the two went their separate ways.

*

Meanwhile, at another location on Guangyuetai—

The incident happened so fast that no one spoke for a moment when they saw the blue figure falling down the stairs.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help him up!"

Someone shouted, and the seemingly still scene suddenly came alive.

For a time, people were either helping others or blocking the road.

Five or six hands reached out to Zhuang Dongqing. He straightened up again, his vision blurred, and his ears rang.

He swayed several times after standing up before finally regaining his balance.

Zhuang Dongqing instinctively wanted to slap his head, but his hand was held down.

"Young Master Zhuang, are you alright?"

"Let me see, ouch, you bumped your forehead, but there's no bleeding, it looks alright..."

"It hurts." Zhuang Dongqing gritted her teeth, feeling surrounded, and tried to hold back her embarrassing tears.

"You've had too much to drink today," a nearby voice remarked.

Zhuang Dongqing nodded.

Five cans of beer is too much.

The fall seemed to awaken the dormant effects of the alcohol, leaving me with hazy thoughts, muffled sounds, and an indistinct, blurry vision.

Zhuang Dongqing blinked hard, only to find in despair that the number of lanterns in the building had doubled.

"Let me help you to rest..."

"Our young master has arranged all the rooms. You're here tonight for our young master..."

"Watch out! Watch your step!"

In a daze, Zhuang Dongqing was helped away.

As soon as she moved, she couldn't stop feeling dizzy. Her head, which she had bumped, throbbed with pain. She couldn't hear a word the people around her were saying. She covered her forehead with her hand and tried to bear it, but she couldn't help it. Zhuang Dongqing secretly rubbed her eyes with the wide sleeve of her Hanfu.

It's not shameful as long as no one sees it.

When I came out, I didn't feel like I had walked very far. On the way back, I had a headache and was drunk, which completely drained my health. I barely managed to keep walking in a straight line. I vaguely remember that I changed waiters halfway through, and then I staggered and felt dizzy. I heard someone say that we had arrived.

Squeak—

The carved wooden door was pushed open.

Zhuang Dongqing blinked again, and as the pain from the head injury subsided, her vision cleared up a little.

Will the carvings on the private room change...?

Just as she was feeling lost, her vest was gently pushed, and Zhuang Dongqing stumbled into the doorway.

Another creaking sound of the door closing rang out, mixed with a soft groan.

"who?"

With no one to lend a hand, Zhuang Dongqing staggered several steps, grabbing the edge of a screen to barely find support in the spinning world. She exhaled a breath of stale air and tried to straighten herself up.

Her head still ached, and she inexplicably started to feel hot. Zhuang Dongqing touched her wound in a daze, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

The soft breath rang out again, the exact same words, now clear and distinct without any extraneous noise.

It was just one word, spoken in a calm tone, yet it carried an imposing and unassailable authority.

Zhuang Dongqing secretly wiped her eyes with her sleeve again, "I... I, Qingqing."

His speech was unclear, mumbled, and tinged with a sob.

It sounds like she's being coquettish.

Zhuang Dongqing herself was stunned when she made the stand-up comedy routine.

The interior was silent.

Zhuang Dongqing gripped the ground with her toes and covered her entire face with her sleeves.

"Come in."

Then someone spoke again from inside.